WWF Battle Royal at Albert Hall

October 3, 1991

From the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. This show was also televised live on Sky Movies + in England.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Nasty Boys w/ Jimmy Hart vs. The Rockers

The Rockers clear the ring to start. We get some stalling as the heels taunt the fans as Heenan wants to see the Nasty Boys use their armpit move. The Rockers now get cheers from the crowd then Sags beats on Shawn for a bit. Shawn breaks up a bearhug by biting the forehead then hits a super kick as the match breaks down with the Rockers once again clearing the ring. Knobbs yells at Marty and calls him a punk so Marty tags into the match. Knobbs lands some shots in the corner but eats boot on a charge. Marty then uses a facebuster as the Rockers clear the ring yet again. The Nasty Boys head up the aisle with Hart to regroup then yell at the fans as they return to the ring. Sags tags in after Knobbs was almost put away with a sunset flip but Marty takes him down and works a front facelock. Marty then works the arm after taking Sags down with an arm drag while Hart continues to yell at the fans. Sags tries to tag out but Marty pulls him away from the corner. The Rockers keep switching off behind the ref’s back as Hart goes off about the referee being stupid. He has a point in this instance. Shawn now works over Sags until Knobbs pulls down the ropes and he goes flying outside. That spot looked terrible as Knobbs had the ropes down well before Shawn had his back turned. Marty chases Hart away as the Nasty Boys are now in control of the match. Heenan talks about the 20-Man Battle Royal later on tonight as the Nasty Boys cut off the ring. Shawn fights back but Knobbs takes him down to prevent a tag. Sags catches Shawn with a bearhug as the fans get behind Shawn. Knobbs is back in and work over the back before using a reverse chinlock but Shawn breaks that up as both men are down. Shawn finally tags out as Marty runs wild on both Nasty Boys. Shawn gets back in as The Rockers nearly put away Sags then Hart jumps onto the apron for a distraction and Shawn grabs him but as that happens, Hart tosses Knobbs the megaphone and he uses that to hit Marty for the win (16:21) **1/2.

Thoughts: It started off slow and got a little sloppy towards the end but the crowd was hot for the action. I felt it went a bit too long but The Rockers made this enjoyable.

Gene Okerlund is backstage with Ric Flair. Okerlund asks him about his match against Tito Santana then about tonight’s battle royal. Flair calls out Tito then tells Roddy Piper he cannot hide during the battle royal. Flair also says we will all find out why he’s the real world’s champion.

Tito Santana vs. Ric Flair

Tito is still wearing his regular gear despite the Matador vignettes airing on TV. Flair is wearing the NWA World Heavyweight Title belt. Flair backs Tito into the corner then yells “wooo!” Tito returns the favor but instead of yelling chops him down. Flair bails after Tito takes him down with a shoulder block then returns to work a wrist lock. Tito tries to gain the advantage but Flair yanks him down and works the arm. Tito fights back then hits a pair of dropkicks as Flair does his flop before rolling outside. Tito heads out and rams Flair’s head into the guardrail. Flair then yanks Tito before he went back inside and hits a chop. Flair heads back into the ring after sending Tito into the guardrail. Tito eventually takes Flair down with a sunset flip then Tito starts working the leg. Tito now beats on Flair in the corner but Flair takes him down and rolls him up for two as the ref saw Flair put his feet on the ropes. Tito uses mounted punches but Flair breaks that up with an atomic drop then takes a breather in the corner. Flair kicks Tito in the ribs before hitting a knee drop for a two count as once again Flair had his feet on the ropes. Flair shoves referee Danny Davis and gets shoved back then chops Tito in the corner. Flair gets booed after yelling at the crowd then Tito fights back. Both men trade chops then Tito fires away in the corner. Flair goes up and over in the corner and ends up on the apron where Tito takes him down with a clothesline. Heenan is worried on commentary and says Tito is a good competitor and not some ordinary “burrito and tortilla pusher” as Tito suplexes Flair back into the ring. Flair begs for mercy then hits Tito in the gut. Tito wins a struggle over a backslide and gets two then Flair pokes him in the eye. Flair chops down Tito and covers for two. He then hits a back suplex before applying a figure four. Flair grabs the ropes for leverage when the ref is not looking as the ref keeps yelling at the Flair when he sees the ropes shake. The fans get behind Tito then Tito reverses the hold. The hold is finally broken up as both men are down. Flair then targets the leg but gets knocked down with a forearm smash. Tito send Flair outside with an uppercut then heads out where both men slug it out. Flair rolls Tito back inside and climbs up top only to get slammed off as Tito covers for a two count. Heenan is freaking out on commentary then Tito misses an elbow drop. Tito comes back with a clothesline that gets two then hits the flying forearm but Flair is able to get his foot on the rope to break the count. Gorilla teases Heenan about Flair possibly losing as Tito uses a reverse rollup but Flair grabs the tights to reverse that and ends up getting the win (16:14) ***1/2.

Thoughts: They did everything to make you believe Tito could win the match here. Both guys are great workers and this was easily the match of the night. Sadly, however, the show would rapidly go downhill from here.

Okerlund is with the Big Bossman. He also plugs “Suburban Commando.” Bossman talks about upholding the law where ever he is then runs down his opponent, Earthquake. Bossman then promises to celebrate with the battle royal trophy.

Now, Okerlund brings out Earthquake & Hart to the interview platform. Earthquake & Hart say they came a long way to beat the Big Bossman and to win the battle royal.

Earthquake w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Big Bossman

Earthquake refuses to enter until Bossman puts down his nightstick. Earthquake taunts Bossman after shoving him into the corner. Bossman then catches Earthquake with a few punches but Earthquake comes back with a slam. Bossman manages to roll away from a few attacks then chases Hart around before returning to attack Earthquake. Bossman uses a school boy for two then works a side headlock. Earthquake tries to break this up but fails as Hart encourages his client. Bossman bounces off of Earthquake but avoids an elbow drop then hits an axe handle from the bottom rope. Bossman now connects from the middle rope and finally drops Earthquake as the fans cheer. Bossman now comes off the top rope but Earthquake catches him with a powerslam but elects to step on him rather than make a pin attempt. Earthquake slows things way down as the crowd cheers for Bossman. Earthquake uses a thumb to the eye then catches Bossman with a bearhug. Earthquake now uses a side headlock on the mat before knocking him outside. Bossman rolls back inside and Earthquake covers for two as Bossman got his foot on the ropes. Bossman mounts a comeback as he headbutts Earthquake repeatedly in the corner but Earthquake comes back with an avalanche. Earthquake chokes out Bossman with his boot then Bossman comes back with an enziguiri after the two messed up a baseball slide spot. Hart is up on the apron but Earthquake knocks him down accidentally as Bossman uses a rollup for two. The Mountie now heads down to ringside and helps up his manager as Earthquake is tied up in the ropes. Bossman attacks Earthquake but Mountie trips him up then Earthquake breaks free and drops an elbow for the win (15:47) *. Bossman chases Mountie & Hart backstage afterwards.

Thoughts: This went on for far too long to have this type of finish. I’m a fan of Bossman in this era but Earthquake really seemed to regress once the Natural Disasters formed. Despite Bossman moving on to feud with IRS on TV they are keeping his feud with the Mountie alive for this tour of Europe.

Okerlund is backstage with the Texas Tornado, who plans on winning the battle royal. Tornado then talks about his match against The Mountie.

We get Mountie & Hart on the interview platform with Okerlund. Mountie says he is the only thing royal about this place and will win the battle royal.

The Mountie w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Texas Tornado

Mountie talks trash but gets knocked down. Mountie rolls outside for a breather then returns as Tornado works the arm. Mountie tries a leapfrog but gets punched down as Mountine ducks out for a breather and is greeted with a “jailbird” chant from the crowd. Mountie rolls outside again because he’s mad the fans are calling him a jailbird and he gets mocked with Tornado. Mountie finally returns to work a chinlock and ends up grounding Tornado on the mat. Tornado ends up finally breaking this hold by running Mountie into the corner. Tornado then catches Mountie with a sleeper. Tornado breaks that and lands a few punches but misses a charge and hits his shoulder against the post. Mountie lands a few shots in the corner then targets the back. Mountie knocks Tornado outside then heads out to ram him into the steps. Tornado eventually yanks Mountie back outside and sends him into the steps now but misses a discus punch and hits the post. They head back inside where Tornado catches Mountie with a clothesline. Mountie then takes down Tornado in the corner and rolls him up with his feet on the ropes for the win (13:16) -**. After the match they act like this match was continued so Tornado hits a back drop then Mountie flees with Hart.

Thoughts: There is nothing positive to say about this match. The action was poor and Tornado put on one of his worst performances of his career. He also looked like he was in no condition to perform. Possibly the worst WWF match in 1991. This was also shown on the “World Tour 92” Coliseum Home Video release.

Funeral Parlor with guest The Undertaker. Paul Bearer asks Undertaker about his match against Jim Duggan. The Undertaker promises a burial. Really brief segment.

We are shown the organ player, dressed similar to the Phantom of the Opera, as he plays The Undertaker’s theme.

The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Duggan lands a few shots in the corner then clotheslines Undertaker over the top rope. However, Undertaker landed on his feet then looks at the urn. Undertaker gets knocked off of the apron but again lands on his feet and feels the power of the urn. Duggan tries to drag Undertaker back inside but gets knocked down and choked out against the ropes. The fans chant “USA” to rally Duggan then Undertaker hits his rope-walk forearm smash. Undertaker chokes out Duggan in the corner but that is broken up with an inverted atomic drop. Duggan fires away then stops to go after Bearer, who grabbed the 2×4. Undertaker goes out and attacks Duggan from behind then hits a clothesline. Duggan now grabs his 2×4 and hits Undertaker and ends up getting disqualified (6:18) *1/4.

Thoughts: The match was fine for what it was. The Undertaker was not going to get pinned and they still want to protect Duggan as the American hero. This match was also shown on the “Live in the UK ’08” DVD.

Okerlund is backstage with Piper. He asks Piper about his time in London as Piper puts over the city then calls out Heenan for “lying more than the government” then turns his attention to Flair and calls him a “feather-wearing, f***ot freak” as the slur was bleeped out and says he has never backed down from anyone. Piper promises to get his hands on Flair. Quite the promo here from Hot Rod.

Now, Okerlund is with Typhoon & Jimmy Hart. Typhoon is asked about what would happen if it came down to Earthquake and himself. Typhoon yells at Okerlund and does not give an answer while Hart likes his chances of winning because he has five men involved in the match. They leave and Power & Glory enter. Power & Glory are without Slick. They talk about being a winning team and tell the Legion of Doom they are in trouble.

The Legion of Doom are now shown with Okerlund. They call out Power & Glory and call them “little geeks” for suggesting they do not deserve the belts. Hawk says when they get through with them there names will be “Sour and Glory.” After that they’re asked about what would happen if the battle royal came down to them as they do not care what will happen.

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Power & Glory vs. Legion of Doom (c)

Hawk teases Roma with a test of strength. Roma flips out as the crowd teases him while Heenan makes fun of the way people from England sound. They finally engage in the test of strength but Roma fires away. Hawk reverses an Irish whip and hits a dropkick as Roma bails. Hawk chases Roma around but is attacked heading back into the ring. Roma ducks his head and Hawk turns that into a neckbreaker. Hercules and Animal tag into the match now. Animal clotheslines Hercules then Hawk comes on and beats the crap out of him. Power & Glory now take control as Roma piledrives Hawk. However, Hawk gets right up and press slams Roma at Hercules. Hawk misses a flying clothesline and spills outside and gets attacked by Hercules. The fans chant for Hawk as Hercules hammers away. Hawk and Hercules collide in a convoluted spot as both men are down. Animal tags in and runs wild on his opponents. He powerbombs Roma as Hercules makes the save on the pin then the match breaks down. Roma comes off of the top but Animal catches him with a powerslam for the win (9:08) *3/4.

Thoughts: It was a bit odd to see Power & Glory get a title shot since they’ve been afterthoughts for months. Anyway, the match itself was basic but fine with the champs winning clean.

British Bulldog is with Okerlund. He smells victory tonight not only in his match against The Barbarian but also in the battle royal.

Ring announcer Mel Phillips welcomes Lord Alfred Hayes to the crowd so he can introduce the next match.

The Barbarian vs. British Bulldog

Standing ovation for Bulldog. Both men try to knock each other down then Barbarian lands a cheap shot. Barbarian eats boot on the charge then Bulldog hits him with a dropkick. Barbarian bails then returns as Bulldog works the arm. Barbarian tries to block a sunset flip but Bulldog slid away and grabbed another armbar. Barbarian takes Bulldog down with a knee smash then taunts the crowd. Barbarian heads out to inflict more punishment then targets the back. Barbarian now works a chinlock as Heenan makes fun of Lord Alfred for being old. Bulldog escapes but gets booted in the face then Barbarian hits a piledriver for a two count. Barbarian now heads to the middle but misses an elbow drop as both men are down. Bulldog is up first and clotheslines Barbarian outside. Bulldog heads out but is kicked in the face. Barbarian whiffs on a clothesline and hits the post then heads back inside where Bulldog hits a clothesline for two. Bulldog then hits a delayed vertical suplex for two then hammers away in the corner. Barbarian misses a charge in the corner then Bulldog catches him on the rebound and hits a powerslam for the win (10:07) **1/4.

Thoughts: Solid match. The crowd was jacked to see Bulldog. Regarding the Barbarian, I know people today are really putting him over for being underrated throughout his career but after watching him as a singles act since splitting from Warlord I’ve not been impressed. I mean Bulldog had far better matches with Warlord than he did with Barbarian and the same can be said for Bret Hart too. Barbarian was lost in the lower midcard until he left the company.

Okerlund is with the Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart to talk about the battle royal.

20 Man Battle Royal: Texas Tornado, Typhoon, Earthquake, Tito Santana, The Mountie, Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetty, Barbarian, Big Bossman, Hercules, Paul Roma, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Brian Knobbs, Jerry Sags, Ric Flair, Hawk, Animal, British Bulldog, The Undertaker, and Roddy Piper

Lord Alfred has joined on commentary. Piper goes after Flair before the bell then the match begins. Piper is chasing Flair around outside of the ring as Heenan is freaking out that Flair might be eliminated but he went through the ropes, not over the top rope. Earthquake almost dumps Bossman but Bossman was able to fall down on the apron. Hawk eliminated Hercules, who runs and grabs a chair. Tornado is out next courtesy of Knobbs & Barbarian then Piper gets rid of Knobbs by pushing him off the apron with two fingers. Typhoon then eliminates Jannetty and Tito dumps The Barbarian. Undertaker is trying to get rid of Piper and as that happens Earthquake eliminates Tito. Piper once again goes after Flair, who ducks out for a breather. Sags eliminates Hawk but Duggan & Animal get rid of Sags as Hawk dropkicks Sags out on the floor. Michaels skins-the-cat but The Mountie ends up clotheslining him over the top rope for the elimination. Mountie ducks out to avoid Bossman as Animal press slams Flair. Earthuake eliminates Duggan as we see Mountie & Roma stomp on Piper in the corner. Duggan then comes back in with his 2×4 and attacks Earthquake then Animal eliminates Earthquake. Piper and Flair trade chops on the outside then head back in where Piper ducks an attack and backdrops Flair over the top rope. Heenan said it was good for Flair to eliminate himself because he doesn’t need to win a “teapot” as he makes fun of the trophy. Bulldog ducks an attack from Roma and gets rid of him then Undertaker eliminates Animal. We get a staredown from the six remaining men and we see Piper get rid of Undertaker but Undertaker yanks Piper out from the outside to eliminate him and they brawl on the outside. The final four are Typhoon, Mountie, Bulldog, and Bossman. I think we can figure out who will be winning. Mountie ducks out to get Bossman to chase him around. It didnt work as Bossman beats on Mountie. Bossman slides out and decks Hart but comes back in and gets low-bridged by Mountie and eliminated. The fans are behind Bulldog while he gets beat down. Typhoon accidentally splashes Mountie then Bulldog hammers away on Typhoon and tries to get him outside but Mountie makes the save. Mountie yells at Typhoon and slaps him as Heenan said he’s just trying to wake up Typhoon. Mountie holds up Bulldog for Typhoon but that fails and he is clotheslined outside. Typhoon and Bulldog are the last two left as the crowd is going mental. Bulldog dropkicks Typhoon but gets hit with an avalanche. Typhoon then charges but Bulldog backdrops him over the top rope for the win (13:38) **1/4. After the match, Earthquake runs out to attack Bulldog, who is able to roll out and avoid a splash. However, the Disasters beat on Bulldog then Andre the Giant comes out on a crutch to hit the Disasters with a double noggin-knocker then chases them off with his cane. Heenan is screaming about this being the greatest battle royal he has ever seen.

Thoughts: The story with Flair and Piper was fun as was Heenan’s performance on commentary. The action was good by battle royal standards but the final four was rather weak and having Typhoon as the last man eliminated was a surprise. Anyway, the reaction for Bulldog winning was nuts. Andre came out too for the end to continue his issues with Earthquake, which would be played up on the rest of the tour. This battle royal was seen on the “Live in the UK ’09” DVD.

Final Thoughts: Tito/Flair was very good and a couple of other matches were okay but there was some real crap on this show too. The hot crowd elevated the show enough to where I wouldnt consider it terrible but there is not a whole you need to see here. If curious, you can catch this show on the WWE Network.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 10/5/91

Friday: WWF Barcelona 10/5/91

Saturday: Mid-South Wrestling 9/15/83

Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 10/6/91

Monday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 10/12/91

Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 10/13/91

Wednesday: WWF Superstars 10/19/91